British police find 39 dead in truck container, arrest driver

British police found the bodies of 39 people inside a truck container believed to have come from Bulgaria at an industrial estate to the east of London on Wednesday.

The discovery was made in the early hours after emergency services were alerted to people in the container, on a gritty industrial site in Grays, about 20 miles from central London.

Police said the driver of the truck, a 25-year-old man from Northern Ireland, had been arrested on suspicion of murder. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was appalled.

"I am receiving regular updates and the Home Office will work closely with Essex Police as we establish exactly what has happened," Johnson said on Twitter. "My thoughts are with all those who lost their lives & their loved ones."

Police said the truck was thought to have entered Britain at Holyhead, a North Wales port that is a major entry point for traffic from Ireland, on Saturday and to have originally started its journey in Bulgaria.

The victims, 38 adults and one teenager, were all pronounced dead at the scene after they were found at the Waterglade Industrial Park, not far from docks on the River Thames.

Bulgaria's foreign ministry said it could not confirm at this stage whether the truck had started its journey from the country.

"We are still checking the information, published in the British media and we're contacting the authorities," foreign ministry spokeswoman Tsvetana Krasteva said.